The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Internal combustion engines combust a fuel and air mixture to produce drive torque. More specifically, air is drawn into the engine through a throttle. The air is mixed with fuel and the mixture is combusted within a cylinder to reciprocally drive a piston within the cylinder, which in turn rotationally drives a crankshaft of the engine.
Engine operation may be regulated based on several parameters including the air flow rate provided to the engine. The air flow provided to the engine may be determined by a mass air flow (MAF) sensor. If an air leak is present at a location downstream of the MAF sensor, the air flow into the engine measured by the MAF sensor may not accurately reflect the actual amount of air provided to the engine.
An inaccurate MAF sensor measurement may result in operation of the engine based on an improper air-fuel ratio. More specifically, when an air leak is present downstream of the MAF sensor, the actual air flow into the engine may be greater than the measured value. As such, an actual air-fuel ratio provided to the engine may be leaner than the commanded air-fuel ratio. The inaccurate MAF sensor measurement may result in poor engine operation including engine stalling.